Pastor Tim Patoka
Oh Lord, How Shall I Meet You? Midweek Advent 2022 With Faith Like Mary Luke 1:26-38
They call it a leap of faith when you do or think something that most ordinary people never would. When your favorite sports team drafts an athlete with an unknown or not-so-great track record, you wonder, “Why would they do such a thing? How will this help us reach the championship and win it?” To you, it seems like the coach and general manager have taken a leap of faith. If you like to watch shows like ABC’s Shark Tank, you see how often the expert business investors (known as “sharks”) disagree with each. They listen to the young entrepreneur who has little more than a vision and energy. And some of the sharks heavily invest in them and take that leap of faith. In many ways, what the angel Gabriel told Mary in our verses from Luke chapter 1 required her to take a leap of faith. Because what he said would happen to and through her was simply impossible, unexpected, and perhaps even outlandish! Yet Mary did not remain in doubt over the promises Gabriel told her. Rather, she accepted them with simple faith that wholeheartedly believed in what he said. We remember what faith is when we remember Hebrews chapter 11(:1), “Faith is being sure about what we hope for, being convinced about things we do not see.” (EHV) This is the kind of faith that Mary demonstrated when Gabriel came to her with his three leap-of-faith promises. And so we can who ask, “Oh Lord, how shall I meet you?” and answer like Mary who wholeheartedly believed them with simple faith. God made sure Gabriel knew who to give his message and leap-of-faith promises to. It was in the province of Galilee, the town of Nazareth. This message wasn’t just for any Mary, but Mary the virgin who was pledged to marry Joseph from the house of David. Once he found her, Gabriel greeted her and calmed her nerves. He then delivered his three leap-of-faith promises: 1) that she, a virgin, would become pregnant, 2) that her son would be the Son of God himself, and 3) his reign would be an everlasting one over the house of Jacob, that is, the body of believers. Mary had plenty of reasons to doubt what Gabriel told her right then and there. For one, she knew better than anyone that she was a virgin. As such, the last thing you expect is to become a parent! If her son was going to be the Son of God himself, that would mean that she was his mother and part of his family line. As a young Jewish girl, Mary had grown up hearing about Old Testament heroes of faith who were blessed to be in the Messiah’s family tree like Abraham and David, 1